Device for cleaning paint and varnish from surfaces



No. 606,907. Patented July 5, I898. B. F. AIKEN.

DEVICE FOR CLEANING PAINT AND VABNISH FROM SURFACES.

(No Model.)

(Application. filed May 18, 1897.)

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Nrrno STATES ATENT BENJAMIN F. AIKEN, or FREETowN, MAssAonUsETTs.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 606,907, dated July 5,1898.

Application filed May 18, 1397. Serial No. 637,039. g (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. AIKEN, of Freetown, in the county ofBristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and ImprovedDevice for Cleaning Paint and Varnish from Surfaces, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to combine a burner, a tank for supplyingthe burner with fuel and adapted to serve as a handle, and a scraperwhereby an implement or tool may be provided capable of being operatedby one hand, if necessary, and of softening or loosening the paint orvarnislrand of removing the loosened material.

Another object of the invention is to construct a device of thecharacter above described in an exceedingly simple, durable, andeconomic manner.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both figures.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the improved device, andFig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

A cylinder A is provided as the handle of the device. This cylinder isadapted to contain the naphtha or other liquid to be'supw plied to theburner B, to be hereinafter described.

the upper surface of the packing being designated by the dotted lines a,although the packing may be used in greater or lesser amount thanindicated in the drawings. The lower end of the cylinder is practicallyclosed, being provided, however, with an outlet-opening 10, surroundedby a threaded collar 11, and from the front surface of the cylinder atits bottom an arm 12 is horizontally or outwardly projected, and to saidarm a scraper 1-3 is secured by means of a screw or its equivalent.

The scraper employed may be a knife of any desired shape or' a shape forremoving the loosened paint or varnish from a surface. At the oppositeend of the cylinder a cap 1% is located, provided with an opening havingA packing of cotton isplaced at one end of the cylinder, preferably thelower end,

its wall threaded, the said opening being adapted to receiveafilling-plug 15, said plug being usually provided with wings in orderthat it may be readily turned. Furthermore, the filling-plug is providedwith an opening 16, extending through from the top to a point at or nearits center; the wall of which opening is threaded, anda passage 17connects with said openingjthe said passage extending through the' inneror bottom portion of the plug, and it is normally closed by means of atension-controlled valve 18, as shown in Fig. 1.

A force-pump'.is employed in connection with the cylinder, and thisforce-pump consists of a rubber bulb 19, which is secured upon a shank20, the shank being reduced in diameter below the bulb and exteriorlythreaded. The dimensions of the reduced and threaded portion of theshank 20 are such that said shank may be readily screwed into theopening 16 in the filling-plug, and the lower end of the o'pening'in thefilling-plug is made tapering or, conical, so that when the shank of theforce-pump is screwed a certain distance into the'filling-plug the pointof the shank will enter. the passage 17 and close the same.

A channel 21 is made in the shank of the force-pnmp,extendin g throughfrom the outer end of the shank','or-'that end which is in the bulb,nearly through to the opposite end; but the lower portion of the channel21 is directed to one side of the shank 20,s0 that it will pass out ofthe shank above its pointed inner end and intoa space provided in thebottomiportion' of the opening 16 in the filling-plug. The bulb isprovided with the usual air-inlet opening 19, as shown-in Fig. 2.

A tube 22 is screwed into the collar 11 at the bottom of the cylinderorhandle A. This tube forms a portion of the burner B, being incommunication with a chamber 23, made adjacent to one side of the burnerand extending along the head, as shown in Fig. 1. The ends of thechamber 23 are closed by removable plugs 24.

The upper portion of the chamber 23,01- that portion which extendstransversely of the burner, is providedwith a tapering opening 25, whichreceives one end of a needlevalve 26, screwed into the head portion ofthe burner, the valve terminating atits other end in a disk 27 or itsequivalent, so that it may be readily manipulated. A gland 28 in theform of a cup is provided for said valve, secured upon the head portionof the burner, in which naphtha may be burned to start the device byheating the burner. The burner is provided with the usualcombustion-chamher 29, and at the outlet of this combustionchamber ahood 30 is formed to prevent the flame being affected by currents ofair.

It will be understood that under the construction set forth a pump, areservoir for an ignitible fluid, a burner, and a scraper are allcombined in one article, enabling a person using said article to scorchor soften the paint or varnish on a painted or varnished surface and atthe same time remove the loosened or softened material. I'Ieretofore ithas been customary for painters to carry a burner in one hand forloosening the surface to be removed and to remove the said loosenedsurface through the medium of a knife operated by the other hand. henthe knife or scraper and burner are combined as set forth, one hand ofthe operator is left entirely free, and the work can be moreexpeditiously and efficiently performed than when the burner and thescraper are independently operated.

13y connecting the pump with the fillingplug for the reservoir in themanner set forth an additional opening into the reservoir for theattachment of the pump is avoided and the air-preesure is readilyapplied to the surface of the liquid in the reservoir. The bulb and thefilling-plug are also readily disconnected from the reservoir whendesired. The end of the shank of the bulb serves as a valve to establishor cut off communication between the bulb and the interior of thereservoir. To apply the air-pressure, the shank of the bulb is turnedback sufficiently to open the passage 17. The bulb is then pressed a fewtimes to force the air into the reservoir, and the shank is then screwedup tight. The airpressure is thus readily applied to the liquid in thereservoir and the escape of air from the reservoir being impossible whenthe shank is screwed to its seat.

In operation, by pressing the bulb or operating the force-p u mp thenaphtha will be forced into the chamber 23 of the burner with sufficientair to generate an inflammable gas, and the supply of gas to thecombustion-chamber of the burner is controlled by.the valve 26. Thescraper is placed as near to the outlet of the burner as practicable, sothat the surface which has been heated shall not become cool before thescraper is passed over it.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a device for removing paint and varnish fromsurfaces, a reservoir, a burner connected with said reservoir, afilling-plug provided with a passage communicating with the reservoir,and a pump having a shank arranged for connection with the saidfillingplug, the shank having a passage adapted to communicate with thepassage in the fillingplug, the said shank serving as a valve toestablish and cut off communication between the pump and reservoir,substantially as shown and described.

2. In a device for removing paint and varnish from surfaces, areservoir, a burner connected with said reservoir a filling-plugremovably connected with said reservoir and having a valve controlledpassage, and a pump consisting of an elastic bulb provided with a shankarranged for connection with the said filling-plug, the shank having apassage adapted to communicate with the passage in the filling-plug, theinner end of said shank serving as a valve to establish and cut offcommunication between the bulb and the reservoir substantially as shownand described.

3. The combination with a reservoir adapted to contain ignitiblematerial, a burner connected with one end of said reservoir and a caplocated at the opposite end of the reservoir, of a fil1ingplug removablysecured to the said cap, the said plug having a screwthreaded openingextending from the top to a point at or near the center, the lower endof said opening being conical in shape, the said plug being providedwith a passage extending from the bottom of said open-ing through theinner or bottom portion of said plug and provided at its inner end witha tension-controlled valve,a bulb provided with an exteriorly threadedshank adapted to screw into the opening in the plug, the lower end ofsaid plug being shaped to fit the lower end of the opening in thefilling-plug and adapted to close the passage leading therefrom, thesaid shank being provided with a channel extending from the endconnected with the bulb to a point near the opposite end, the inner orlower end of said channel being directed to one side and passing out ofthe shank above its inner end and opening into the lower part of theopening in the filling-plug, substantially as set forth.

I. The combination with a burner, and a reservoir connected at one endwith said burner and serving as a handle for the device, a serew-plugremovably secured to the other end of the reservoir and formed With ascrew-threaded opening and a passage leading from said opening andcommunicating with the reservoir, of a pump provided with an exteriorlythreaded shank adapted to screw into the opening in the said plug, thesaid shank having a passage adapted to con1- municate with the passagein the plug, the shank serving as a valve to establish and cut offcommunication between the pump and reservoir, substantially asdescribed.

BENJAMIN r. AIKEN.

lVitnesses:

NATHAN R. DAVIS, WILLIAM A. DAVIS.

ICC

